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Satanism
Satanism refers to a wide set of occult beliefs that tend to glorify the figure of Lucifer. The term came into use in the late 1800s, and was originally used as a pejorative. Though it has historical precedent, information about medieval satanists is rather rare, and in terms of a cohesive set of practices it tends to be a rather new movement that grew out of proto satanists and occultists from the 1800s. While not everything that will be on this page is created by satanists per say, the remainders are things which are considered inspirational and influential in satanic circles. While the in-game chaos side does draw inspiration from egoist anarchists, and nietzsche directly, a lot of its ideology the way you will see it expressed is actively based off of satanist groups, and more closely resembles them than those things in and of themselves. General There is a distinction between satanism and luciferianism. Satanism tends to view satan or lucifer as in some sense a dark figure, one which is dangerous, and in some sense embodies darkness. Often glorifying chaos, or primal chaos, in keeping with megaten themes. And tends to have more excessively individualistic and egoist aspects. Luciferianism is a smaller group that views lucifer as a positive figure of light, and rejects the association of him with any kind of dark or devil figure. (And some forms overlap both concepts, saying he has both a light and dark aspect) Both trends come in both theistic and atheistic forms. Most satanic groups are rather small, and there is little reason to mention most of them. But the more important ones will be mentioned. Note that while most well known satanist groups are based on an edgy version of randianism, there are some real more obscure ones which do actually partake in blood sacrifices. Though the former swear off association with the latter, saying that they are not the same type of group as them. Likewise, the latter deride the former as childish; saying they take on a dark tone without willingness to engage in the real things it represents. Theistic Satanists venerate Satan as a supernatural deity, but generally view him not as omnipotent but rather as a father figure. In contrast, atheistic Satanists regard Satan as merely a symbol of certain human traits. Many satanic groups overlap with types of paganism, insisting that satan is the same entity as other pagan gods, or that they exist together. So the relation Note that all of this is of course very relevant to megaten, as the chaos side has an obvious and explicit satanic tone (Though the word satan is used instead for the lawful angel jewish angel of judgement. The devil figure in-game is referred to as lucifer). And it parralels real world satanism in some ways, such as presenting it as overlapping with certain darker interpretations of paganism, and even the dual trend of lucifer having both a light and dark side. Though it does not necessarily deserve its own section, one point to mention as regards demons in general is that the poem now known as Dante's inferno, written by Dante Alighieri depicts various greek monsters and demons alongside christian ones in hell, and likewise has greek heroes outside of it. So there is long term precedent for fallen angels and other demons being depicted together even aside from christian demonization of other religions. History The history of satanism is not easy to keep track of, due mainly to the fact that almost all cases historically were false positives of people worrying that it was occurring more than a real thing. As a distinct thing with records it only really came around in the 1800s, and even then the proto satanism of that time rarely considered itself to be explicitly satanic even if it considered the figure of the devil as a less negative one. There are records that in 1231, heretics began to be persecuted throughout Germany, among which were a new trend of Luciferians. Over the following three years, several people were burned as a result. According to a papal letter from Gregory IX, Vox in Rama, dated from July 13, 1233, one of the claims made by the Luciferians was that Lucifer had been cast out of Heaven unjustly. As said "The confessions Conrad of Marburg extracted Germany during the early 1200s were apparently made without torture, but under the threat of death if the victim did not confess. If these confessions were accurate, the Luciferans were full-blown Satanists. They worshiped the Devil as creator and ruler of the world, complained that he had been unjustly and treacherously banished from Heaven, and believed that he would overthrow the God of the Christians and return to Heaven, when they would enjoy eternal happiness with him. They reveled in whatever displeased the Christian God and hated whatever pleased him..." While the truth value of these is a bit dubious, it shows that even in the past there were trends of seeing Lucifer as a positive figure. Interestingly, he is presented here as the creator himself, with yhvh as an usurper. Though lucifer in game is never considered to be the world creator, often yhvh is considered an usurper of other creative forces. Note that these historical satanists viewed yhvh as a kind of demiurge like figure, and so may have had gnostic influences. They retained the story of lucifer being cast out of heaven, but spun him as the victim. Which is something that happens in megaten from the perspective of the gaians. Witches? There has also been a long trend of satan being associated with the middle ages concept of witches. However, there is little evidence that any large scale satanic groups operated during these times. The archetype of the witch seems more like something that existed in the cultural consciousness as something to accuse people of rather than a common widespread actual system of beliefs. It is not clear whether any satanic witches actually operated in any meaningful way at this time, but at any rate they were not very large. Witches were depicted as having meetings in the forest, often while nude, and worshiping satan as a goat like figure. Sometimes he was depicted as having a candle on his head, which later became part of the symbology for the figure baphomet. Some historians think that the archetype of witches was influenced not just by misunderstood memories of pagan religions, but of midwives and early chemists as well. More recently the title witch has been adopted by various groups professing paganism or satanism though. Knights Templar. The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of Solomon's Temple or simply as Templars, were among the wealthiest and most powerful of the Western Christian military orders and were prominent actors in Christian finance. The organization existed for nearly two centuries during the Middle Ages. Officially endorsed by the Roman Catholic Church around 1129, the Order became a favoured charity throughout Christendom and grew rapidly in membership and power. Templar knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were among the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades. Non-combatant members of the Order managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom, innovating financial techniques that were an early form of banking, and building fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land. The Templars' existence was tied closely to the Crusades; when the Holy Land was lost, support for the Order faded. Rumours about the Templars' secret initiation ceremony created distrust, and King Philip IV of France, deeply in debt to the Order, took advantage of the situation. In 1307, many of the Order's members in France were arrested, tortured into giving false confessions, and then burned at the stake. Under pressure from King Philip, Pope Clement V disbanded the Order in 1312. The abrupt disappearance of a major part of the European infrastructure gave rise to speculation and legends, which have kept the "Templar" name alive into the modern day. At dawn on Friday, 13 October 1307 (a date sometimes linked with the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition) King Philip IV ordered de Molay and scores of other French Templars to be simultaneously arrested. The arrest warrant started with the phrase: "God is not pleased. We have enemies of the faith in the kingdom". Claims were made that during Templar admissions ceremonies, recruits were forced to spit on the Cross, deny Christ, and engage in indecent kissing; brethren were also accused of worshiping idols, and the order was said to have encouraged homosexual practices. The Templars were charged with numerous other offences such as financial corruption, fraud, and secrecy. Many of the accused confessed to these charges under torture, and these confessions, even though obtained under duress, caused a scandal in Paris. The Templars were accused of idolatry and were suspected of worshipping either a figure known as Baphomet or a mummified severed head they recovered, amongst other artifacts, at their original headquarters on the Temple Mount that many scholars theorize might have been that of John the Baptist, among other things. Baphomet was described as looking like either a head, a cat, or multiple heads. And was considered a pagan idol at the time, more than a satanic figure. The best historical guess of what it came from was a mistranslated of mohammad, thinking that mohammad was a foreign pagan god equivalent to Jesus. Note that the later depictions of baphomet come from the drawing of eliphas levi, and do not resemble the templar figure. Though there is little evidence of them as a satanic organization, they have entered cultural lore as a possible one ever since. When you fuse baphomet in some games, he refers to the templars saying he was their idol, and that it won't be his fault if the inquisition comes for you when they see you with him. Interestingly, note that baphomet is considered a dark / law demon instead of a chaos demon. The reasons for this are unknown. Perhaps referring to that the original templars were not anti christian after all. Or that it is a corruption of mohammad, since the vile race is often demonized figures. Note that the center in II shows similarities with crusaders, and is found to have chaos demons on their side. Perhaps calling to mind occult figures associated with the templars. More information on the knights templar page. Other occultism? Other people operated during the middle ages with various esoteric beliefs. Few were explicitly satanic, but some were accused of it. Such as the alchemists, who often claimed to interact with nature spirits, which due to christian dualism, these spirits not being good were seen as then likely to be evil. Though christian folklore in the middle ages did often allow for neutral spirits too. (Fairies were sometimes even seen as a neutral type of angel who was cast from heaven, but not evil enough to be sent to hell). To see more info on this read the alchemy page. Thelema Thelema. is a practice started by Aliester Crowley, based on a philosophical law of the same name, adopted as a central tenet by some religious organizations. Crowley is among the most well known occultists, and has been considered the founder or main figure of modern satanic practices. Though it did not use the name for itself at the time. The law of Thelema is "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. Love is the law, love under will." The law of Thelema was developed in the early 1900s by Crowley, who was an English writer and ceremonial magician. He believed himself to be the prophet of a new age, the Æon of Horus, based upon a spiritual experience that he and his wife, Rose Edith, had in Egypt in 1904. By his account, a possibly non-corporeal or "praeterhuman" being that called itself Aiwass contacted him and dictated a text known as The Book of the Law or Liber AL vel Legis, which outlined the principles of Thelema. An adherent of Thelema is a Thelemite. Note that while the law sounds egoistic in nature, and has a heavy slant of egoism, it is not pure egoism, since it calls you to respect the drive for others to act egoistically as well. Although the kabbalah is most often associated with judaism in II, the strongest obvious kabbalah association was for chaos. This is because hermetic kabbalah, popularized by thelema, though older than it by a bit which it became heavily known for very strongly was known for chaotic type ideology. At first, this might seem like just haphazard representations, however many hermetic qabbalists were left hand path occultists who had chaotic ideology. One of the most well known of these was Aliester Crowley. He created his own religion known as Thelema, which was chaotic in tone, and became the inspiration for later edgy groups like laveyan satanism. And to make the inspiration here more obvious, they have crowley as a boss in II. When he transforms, he is referred to as master therion, which is another name he referred to himself by. Thelema is a form of hermetic qabbalism, which was a reinterpretation of kabbalic logic for occult groups. Some of which, like crowleys were radically individualistic, and elitist. Chaotic in tone, and saying that the weak should not be given leniency by the strong. Pantheon: Thelema is ruled over by a mixture of egyptian gods, and christian demons. The chief gods are the egyptian godess Nut, seen as a consort of Horus, and the beast of revalations (who crowley associated with himself, and referred to as master therion) as well as the mother harlot, baphomet and some others. Though these demons still took on dark tones, described even by him as volent or filthy, he denied that such as thing as devils existed, saying that baphomet was an icon of satan, who was also a god of light and knowledge. Sometimes he referred to these as if they were archetypes rather than literal, but it seems that he wavered on this, sometimes saying they were literal entities. In IV you see master therion as the beast trying to summon the mother harlot. Ethical egoism / Nihilism. One of the core and main staples of thelema was that moral duties to others were not real. At least not in any sense that you would understand it. This ties to the concept of true will. The only real prescription is to work to finding and complying with your own true will and what it means for yourself, without consideration to others. This is the true purpose in life of each individual. Though it is presented not necessarily as a moral command. Interestingly enough, note that Nietzsche is considered a saint in thelema, an much of the chaos side's ideology is based loosely on nietzsche. One could also consider thelema to be nihilist in the sense that crowley denied that such a thing as morality existed, making the concept of the true will seem in some sense amoral. But at other times he described it in an egoist way, saying that it was an active good to live within your own will. Egoism and nihilism may be similar, but are not identical concepts. True will. The main ethical rule of thelema is summed up as “do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.” However, this is more complicated than it seems, and doesn't just mean act egotistically or impulsively. What it means is that every individual has their own “true will” in life which is a path towards what they truly desire, and how they truly want to live. And that your actions in this sense are merely degrees with either compliance with this, or deviance from it. It is described in some sense like an orbit. A path that an ideal person would get on which is not a goal, but an ongoing full compliance. This seems almost astrological in a sense, since it seems as if this will was almost described as something external to you, which wounds a little less chaotic. But needless to say, most thelemites do not interpret it that way, but rather see it as a continual path of self creation. Note that this calling to fulfill your own true will does not mean that you are bound not to interfere with the true will of others. Crowley noted that people's wills would intersect. And openly derided weakness, saying that people need not give them leniency, but should trample over them. and that if two strong wills intersected then they should fight for dominance as equals. He sways definitely chaos, because he insists that many times people interfere with others are in ways that are not adequately complying with their own will. People trying to ascribe moralities or ordered social systems are wasting time because this probably isn't what their own will maximally wants for itself. And so criticism of authoritative systems generally stems from the assumption that the people involved are themselves failing to understand how to live in accordance with their will, and so are manifesting this inability in various ways. So in this way he while upholding the right of the strong to do what they want, still arrives at a vague way to criticize the idea of someone strong choosing not to be chaotic. Fully coming in contact with your true will is known as crossing the abyss. Note that in II you literally cross the abyss. Holy guardian angel is a concept that refers to an inner voice that leads you into complying with your true will. Though it was originally described by crowley as an archetype that guides you, he later described it as in some sense a real being, possibly even other humans who were previously enlightened. In some ways the personas in-game seem mixed a little with this idea. He heard a voice in his head who he associated with this, and this related to his pantheon, so in some sense there was a relation between your own inner daemon, and the pantheon of devils leading you to enlighten yourself. But that you must do so ultimately of your own power Qabbalah. In order to preserve rationalizing the unity of kabbalah with the rabid individualism of his system, crowley considered manifesting your true will as equivalent to joining with and becoming one with the divine. But in the sense of the cosmos with planets moving on their own path, rather than nullifying themselves. He used the same tree of life symbol to show this, but reinterpreted it in various complicated ways. Later thelemites noted that despite the system being chaotic, some of the language was a little ordered, and they downplayed this. left hand path kabbalists often also say that interaction with the qliphoth is allowed, which is forbidden by jewish kabbalah. Crowley himself put strong emphasis on the unique nature of Will inherent in each individual, not following him, saying he did not wish to found a flock of sheep. Thus, contemporary Thelemites will often overlap it with other practices, like luciferianism, satanism, gnosticism, etc. Abyss. In Thelemic mysticism, the Abyss is the great gulf or void between the phenomenal world of manifestation and its noumenal source. To him, crossing the abyss is an aspect of spiritual enlightenment that involves moving past the belief in the discrete self, similar to enlightenment in buddhism. Though notably, for crowley this process is still individualistic, and results in seeing your will as part of the cosmic order, which upholds those who act egoistically like orbits of planets, and in which the crushing of the weak is simply part of this order. While later satanists draw much inspiration from crowley, they often downplay the idea of being part of a universal order in this sense. In II where you see crowley directly in the abyss, and in which crossing it is part of the plot, this name for the abyss itself is therefore a direct reference to his works. The association of crowley and many buddhist figures together is likely meant to show that the buddhist concepts of moving past the idea of the discrete self can also be repurposed for ends resembling that of thelema. Éliphas Lévi Éliphas Lévi was a French occult author and ceremonial magician. Although he had satanic elements, he is in some sense a proto satanist because he considered himself to be a catholic in good standing, insisting that he was revealing the true teachings of christ and that the churches had corrupted it. He is remembered mainly as an inspiration for later satanic occultists, and is relatively obscure outside of this. He believed that catholicism was the true religion, but that one must uncover the true hidden catholicism within, using kabbalah and occultism. He also had socialist leanings, being one of the figures who attempted to merge socialism with kabbalah, publishing in socialist manuals. He was the one who came up with the idea of a star pointed down to symbolize evil contrasting pointed up to symbolize good. His popularity rested in part on that he defined magic in a vague way that at the time seemed to avoid obvious nonsense, yet by the same vein was so vague that few considered him to be saying much of any real meaning. Referring to magic he says: "To practice magic is to be a quack; to know magic is to be a sage." and "Magic is the divinity of man conquered by science in union with faith; the true Magi are Men-Gods, in virtue of their intimate union with the divine principle." Baphomet Eliphas Levi is known best for creating the image he had drawn himself which he described as Baphomet and "The Sabbatic Goat", showing a winged humanoid goat with a pair of breasts and a torch on its head between its horns (illustration, top). This image has become the best-known representation of Baphomet. Lévi considered the Baphomet to be a depiction of the absolute in symbolic form and explicated in detail his symbolism in the drawing that served as the frontispiece. Though the name baphomet had already existed, since back from the time of the knights templar, he was the one who gave it its more modern usage. The Baphomet of Lévi was to become an important figure within the cosmology of Thelema, the mystical system established by Aleister Crowley, and later the symbol of laveyan satanism. The goat on the frontispiece carries the sign of the pentagram on the forehead, with one point at the top, a symbol of light, his two hands forming the sign of occultism, the one pointing up to the white moon of Chesed, the other pointing down to the black one of Geburah. This sign expresses the perfect harmony of mercy with justice. His one arm is female, the other male to show adrogyny. The flame of intelligence shining between his horns is the magic light of the universal balance, the image of the soul elevated above matter, as the flame, whilst being tied to matter, shines above it. The beast's head expresses the horror of the sinner, whose materially acting, solely responsible part has to bear the punishment exclusively; because the soul is insensitive according to its nature and can only suffer when it materializes. The rod standing instead of genitals symbolizes eternal life, the body covered with scales the water, the semi-circle above it the atmosphere, the feathers following above the volatile. Humanity is represented by the two breasts and the androgyne arms of this sphinx of the occult sciences. Lévi's depiction of Baphomet is similar to that of the Devil in early Tarot cards, leading to his satanic association. Lévi believed that the alleged devil worship of the medieval Witches' Sabbath was actually a perpetuation of ancient pagan rites. A goat with a candle between its horns appears in medieval witchcraft records, and other pieces of lore are cited in Dogme et Rituel. His association of the symbol of baphomet as the absolute with the devil figure was intentional. (Note that Lévi's Baphomet, for all its modern fame, does not match the historical descriptions from the Templar trials.) He says himself: “Below this figure we read a frank and simple inscription—THE DEVIL. Yes, we confront here that phantom of all terrors, the dragon of the all theogenies, the Ahriman of the Persians, the Typhon of the Egyptians, the Python of the Greeks, the old serpent of the Hebrews, the fantastic monster, the nightmare, the Croquemitaine, the gargoyle, the great beast of the Middle Ages, and—worse than all these—the Baphomet of the Templars, the bearded idol of the alchemist, the obscene deity of Mendes, the goat of the Sabbath. The frontispiece to this ‘Ritual’ reproduces the exact figure of the terrible emperor of night, with all his attributes and all his characters.... Yes, in our profound conviction, the Grand Masters of the Order of Templars worshipped the Baphomet, and caused it to be worshipped by their initiates; yes, there existed in the past, and there may be still in the present, assemblies which are presided over by this figure, seated on a throne and having a flaming torch between the horns. But the adorers of this sign do not consider, as do we, that it is a representation of the devil; on the contrary, for them it is that of the god Pan, the god of our modern schools of philosophy, the god of the Alexandrian theurgic school and of our own mystical Neoplatonists, the god of Lamartine and Victor Cousin, the god of Spinoza and Plato, the god of the primitive Gnostic schools; the Christ also of the dissident priesthood.... The mysteries of the Sabbath have been variously described, but they figure always in grimoires and in magical trials; the revelations made on the subject may be classified under three heads—1. those referring to a fantastic and imaginary Sabbath; 2. those which betray the secrets of the occult assemblies of veritable adepts; 3. revelations of foolish and criminal gatherings, having for their object the operations of black magic.” Magician. He defined the magician, the end goal of practicing magic and its results as this: "He looks on the wicked as invalids whom one must pity and cure; the world, with its errors and vices, is to him God's hospital, and he wishes to serve in it." "Judge not; speak hardly at all; love and act." "They are without fears and without desires, dominated by no falsehood, sharing no error, loving without illusion, suffering without impatience, reposing in the quietude of eternal thought... a Magus cannot be ignorant, for magic implies superiority, mastership, majority, and majority signifies emancipation by knowledge. The Magus welcomes pleasure, accepts wealth, deserves honour, but is never the slave of one of them; he knows how to be poor, to abstain, and to suffer; he endures oblivion willingly because he is lord of his own happiness, and expects or fears nothing from the caprice of fortune. He can love without being beloved; he can create imperishable treasures, and exalt himself above the level of honours or the prizes of the lottery. He possesses that which he seeks, namely, profound peace. He regrets nothing which must end, but remembers with satisfaction that he has met with good in all. His hope is a certitude, for he knows that good is eternal and evil transitory. He enjoys solitude, but does not fly the society of man; he is a child with children, joyous with the young, staid with the old, patient with the foolish, happy with the wise. He smiles with all who smile, and mourns with all who weep; applauding strength, he is yet indulgent to weakness; offending no one, he has himself no need to pardon, for he never thinks himself offended; he pities those who misconceive him, and seeks an opportunity to serve them; by the force of kindness only does he avenge himself on the ungrateful..." The Marriage of Heaven and Hell William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. One of his major known works is making prints depicting dante's divine comedy. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a book by the English poet and printmaker William Blake. It is a series of texts written in imitation of biblical prophecy but expressing Blake's own intensely personal Romantic and revolutionary beliefs. Like his other books, it was published as printed sheets from etched plates containing prose, poetry and illustrations. The plates were then colored by Blake and his wife Catherine. He made many etchings of Lucifer represented as a positive figure, depicted generally naked and strong to represent life and indulgence. The work was composed between 1790 and 1793, in the period of radical ferment and political conflict immediately after the French Revolution. Though Blake was influenced by his grand and mystical cosmic conception, Swedenborg's conventional moral strictures and his Manichaean view of good and evil led Blake to express a deliberately depolarized and unified vision of the cosmos in which the material world and physical desire are equally part of the divine order; hence, a marriage of heaven and hell. The book is written in prose, except for the opening "Argument" and the "Song of Liberty". The book describes the poet's visit to Hell, a device adopted by Blake from Dante's Divine Comedy and Milton's Paradise Lost. It is considered an inspirational work by many later satanists. Unlike that of Milton or Dante, Blake's conception of Hell begins not as a place of punishment, but as a source of unrepressed, somewhat Dionysian energy, opposed to the authoritarian and regulated perception of Heaven. Blake's purpose is to create what he called a "memorable fancy" in order to reveal the repressive nature of conventional morality and institutional religion. In other words, like as is presented in megaten, hell and demons are represented as the freedom to indulge and act on one's own will, and are something that conventional Christianity at the time was seen as repressing. He also endorsed indulgence, saying that one should indulge and learn form mistakes rather than avoiding them. So he depicted this demonic perspective as actively impulsive, despite representing it as positive. Religiously his views seemed to be a kind of pantheism. He talked much about how god would glorify the intelligent rather than those who refrained form certain actions. And even made his own pantheon of various gods. But it seemed that he saw these as archetypes, saying that all gods lived within the human breast. He also rejected the concepts of scientific materialism, saying that they were too much an attempt to solidify logic as understanding, and that inner energies needed more than a single vision that ignores lived context. The Great Red Dragon Paintings are a series of watercolour paintings that Blake was commissioned to create along with over a hundred paintings intended to illustrate books of the Bible. These paintings depict the seven headed dragon in various scenes from the Book of Revelation. They are most recognized from the movie and book red dragon from the hannibal series. The art of satan in smt apocalypse was likely based on these paintings (on top of the general biblical design), as it shares a lot of similarities with the art. And since satan in apocalypse comes from a literal fusion of a leader of the armies of heaven and hell, referencing something by the author noted for the book of the above name is something likely common. Paradise Lost John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, and man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell. He wrote at a time of religious flux and political upheaval, and is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost (1667), written in blank verse. Paradise Lost is an epic poem that concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man: the temptation of Adam and Eve by the fallen angel Satan and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Milton's purpose, stated in Book I, is to "justify the ways of God to men". Though the book does depict demons as the villains, many later satanists have considered it inspirational, saying that it depicts Lucifer in an almost heroic light, and that they suspect that Milton was more sympathetic to him than many Christians. Note that in SMTIV, paradise lost is one of the books handed out by lilith, implying that it is seen in game as something the gaians take as a positive story. Satan is the first major character introduced in the poem. Formerly called Lucifer, he was the most beautiful of all angels in Heaven, and is a tragic figure who describes himself with the now-famous quote "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." He is introduced to Hell after he leads a failed rebellion to wrest control of Heaven from God. Satan's desire to rebel against his creator stems from his unwillingness to be subjugated by God and his Son, claiming that angels are "self-begot, self-raised," and thereby denying God's authority over them as their creator. Satan is deeply arrogant, albeit powerful and charismatic. Satan's persuasive powers are evident throughout the book; not only is he cunning and deceptive, but he is also able to rally the fallen angels to continue in the rebellion after their agonizing defeat in the Angelic War. He argues that God rules as a tyrant and that all the angels ought to rule as gods. Though commonly understood to be the antagonizing force in Paradise Lost, Satan may be best defined as a tragic or Hellenic hero. According to William McCollom, one quality of the classical tragic hero is that he is not perfectly good and that his defeat is caused by a tragic flaw. As Satan causes both the downfall of man and the eternal damnation of his fellow fallen angels despite his dedication to his comrades, Satan is perhaps an ur-example of the trope. In addition, Satan’s Hellenic qualities, such as his immense courage and perhaps, lack of completely defined morals, compound his tragic nature. Satan's status as a protagonist in the epic poem is debatable; Milton arguably characterizes him as such, but Satan lacks several key traits that would otherwise make him the definitive protagonist in the work. One deciding factor that insinuates his role as the protagonist in the story is that most often a protagonist is heavily characterized and far better described than the other characters, and the way the character is written is meant to make him seem more interesting or special to the reader. For that matter, Satan is both well described and is depicted as being quite versatile in that he is shown as having the capacity to do evil whilst retaining his characteristic sympathetic qualities and thus it is this complex and relatable nature makes him a likely candidate for the story’s overarching protagonist. Although Satan's army inevitably loses the war against God, Satan achieves a position of power and begins his reign in Hell with his band of loyal followers, composed of fallen angels, which is described to be a "third of heaven". Satan's characterization as the leader of a failing cause folds into this as well and is best exemplified through his own quote, "to be weak is to be miserable; Doing or Suffering", as through shared solidarity espoused by empowering rhetoric, Satan riles up his comrades in arms and keeps them focused towards their shared goal. Similar to Milton’s republican sentiments of overthrowing the King of England for both better representation and parliamentary power, Satan argues that his shared rebellion with the fallen angels is an effort to “explain the hypocrisy of God”, and in doing so, they will be treated with the respect and acknowledgement that they deserve. As scholar Wayne Rebhorn argues, “Satan insists that he and his fellow revolutionaries held their places by right and even leading him to claim that they were self-created and self-sustained” and thus Satan’s position in the rebellion is much like that of his own real world creator. As such, though milton was depicting him as dark in the story, it is easy to see why it is seen as a sympathetic portrayal, and one that can be taken in the opposite direction, as later satanists, and lilith in IV does. One additional point is that Joker's ultimate melee weapon (made by itemizing Satanael) in persona 5 is called Paradise Lost. Atheistic Satanism Atheistic satanism is satanist groups that beleive in satan as an archetypal figure, rather than a concrete entity. Most atheistic satanist groups stemmed from the beliefs of LaVeyan satanism, which is the most well known variant. Some of them however consider themselves not atheistic but autotheistic, saying that from the relative perspective of the individual, they should see themselves as their own god. Note that in megaten, the chaos side often blurs the line between demons and humans, often with chaotic figures wanting to eventually merge with demons. So one implication is the actual tangible deification of the self. Despite being atheistic, atheistic satanists they will often declare as important the practice of magick, saying that it works in some archetypal sense, or some other means that is not made clear. Laveyan satanism talks heavily about magick as a positive force LaVeyan Satanism is a more recent religion inspired by crowley's thelema. The religion's doctrines and practices are codified in LaVey's book, The Satanic Bible, which was inspired by nietzsche and ayn rand. Its core philosophy is based on individualism and egoism, encouraging a pursuit of fleshly indulgence, an eye for an eye code of ethics, and the concept of "self-deification". The philosophy positions itself in favor of Social Darwinism and opposes egalitarianism, seeing it as a conservator of mediocrity and decadence, and to a larger extent, the Abrahamic faiths, which are seen as lies which promote idealism, self-denigration, herd behavior, and irrationality. It has also been known to support eugenicist ideology. The anthropologist Jean La Fontaine described it as having "both elitist and anarchist elements", also citing one occult bookshop owner who referred to the Church's approach as "anarchistic hedonism". Though it does not actively profess to be anarchist, being more about personal practice than social arrangement. The religion however, like thelema stresses Lucifer as an archetype rather than a real figure, believing in atheism and materialism. Though it is close allies with more theistic satanist groups which tend to have similar ideologies, and often use its statements in various ways. (Which ironically parallels the in game ambiguity over demons being both mental archetypes and seemingly also real beings). Its ethics do resemble much of chaos' fairly well, as well as showing the historical precedent for lucifer glorifying groups to be in this general ideological zone. The Church of Satan was established at the Black House in San Francisco, California, on Walpurgisnacht, April 30, 1966, by Anton Szandor LaVey, who was the church's High Priest until his death in 1997. In 2001, Peter H. Gilmore was appointed to the position of high priest, and the church's headquarters were moved to Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. The Church is dedicated to the religion of LaVeyan Satanism as codified in The Satanic Bible. The church often rejects the legitimacy of any other organizations who claim to be Satanists as proper continuations of LaVey. First Satanic Church After LaVey's death in 1997, the Church of Satan was taken over by a new administration and its headquarters was moved to New York. LaVey's daughter, the High Priestess Karla LaVey, felt this to be a disservice to her father's legacy. The First Satanic Church was re-founded on October 31, 1999 by Karla LaVey to carry on the legacy of her father. She continues to run it out of San Francisco, California. Some in this group believe the philosophy propounded by Anton LaVey himself was deism or panentheism but is propounded as atheism by the leaders of the Church of Satan in order to distance themselves from what they see as pseudo-Satanists. The Nine Satanic Statements are a set of nine assertions made by LaVey in the introductory chapters of The Satanic Bible. They are considered a touchstone of contemporary organized Satanism that constitute, in effect, brief aphorisms that capture of Satanic philosophy. 1: Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence. This obviously is something you see in-game. Even when first introduced in IV lucifer is called "regal voice" and merkabah "chaste voice." 2: Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams. (This is a nietzschean statement about living and loving your life in the world.) 3: Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit. 4: Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates. (Note that this is a rejection of any sense of universal love or affection. Chaotic figures often talk in megaten games about the pointlessness of licking the wounds of the weak and harming yourself in the process.) 5: Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek. (Pretty self explanatory. With the impulsiveness and anger of the chaos side this is a given.) 6: Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires. (This is kind of a restatement of #4, but with a slightly different focus.) 7: Satan represents man as just another animal who, because of his "divine spiritual and intellectual development", has become the most vicious animal of all. 8: Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification. 9: Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years. (Note that in IVA, it is implied that yhvh actively was behind the arising of lucifer for his own means as a carrot and stick method. Though that is less pro satanic, and more a weird association of satanism with radical ideas that exist only to sound bad.) The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth. (Note Satan being associated with the earth. Which ties in in game to lucifer being associated with gaians and the ground as opposed to law being associated with the sky). Notice that these rules of the earth seem more toned down than some of the others. 1: Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked. 2: Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them. 3: When in another’s lair, show him respect or else do not go there. (That's right. They use the word lair. This is super edgy.) 4: If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy. 5: Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal. 6: Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved. 7: Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained. (This one is a little odd for an atheistic group to have, but even so). 8: Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself. (Not terrible advice, really.) 9: Do not harm little children. 10: Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food. 11: When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him. (more edgy language.) Nine Satanic Sins. LaVey classified the Nine Satanic Sins as unwanted behaviors which are counter-productive hindrances to success. Note of course the fact that none of these sins imply that harming people or such is the main problems to focus on. They're mostly variants of lack of being impressive seeming, or benefiting yourself. Which highlights the selfish tone involved here. 1: Stupidity: "It’s too bad that stupidity isn’t painful. Ignorance is one thing, but our society thrives increasingly on stupidity. It depends on people going along with whatever they are told. The media promotes a cultivated stupidity as a posture that is not only acceptable but laudable. Satanists must learn to see through the tricks and cannot afford to be stupid." 2: Pretentiousness: "Empty posturing can be most irritating and isn’t applying the cardinal rules of Lesser Magic. On equal footing with stupidity for what keeps the money in circulation these days. Everyone’s made to feel like a big shot, whether they can come up with the goods or not." 3: Solipsism: "Projecting your reactions, responses and sensibilities onto someone who is probably far less attuned than you are. It is the mistake of expecting people to give you the same consideration, courtesy and respect that you naturally give them. They won’t. Instead, Satanists must strive to apply the dictum of “Do unto others as they do unto you.” It’s work for most of us and requires constant vigilance lest you slip into a comfortable illusion of everyone being like you. As has been said, certain utopias would be ideal in a nation of philosophers, but unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately, from a Machiavellian standpoint) we are far from that point." (This is a kind of incorrect use of the world solipsism). 4: Self-deceit: "We must not pay homage to any of the sacred cows presented to us, including the roles we are expected to play ourselves. The only time self-deceit should be entered into is when it’s fun, and with awareness. But then, it’s not self-deceit!" 5: Herd Conformity: "It’s all right to conform to a person’s wishes, if it ultimately benefits you. But only fools follow along with the herd, letting an impersonal entity dictate to you. The key is to choose a master wisely instead of being enslaved by the whims of the many." 6: Lack of Perspective: "You must never lose sight of who and what you are, and what a threat you can be, by your very existence. We are making history right now, every day. Always keep the wider historical and social picture in mind. That is an important key to both Lesser and Greater Magic. See the patterns and fit things together as you want the pieces to fall into place. Do not be swayed by herd constraints—know that you are working on another level entirely from the rest of the world." 7: Forgetfulness of Past Orthodoxies: "Be aware that this is one of the keys to brainwashing people into accepting something new and different, when in reality it’s something that was once widely accepted but is now presented in a new package. We are expected to rave about the genius of the creator and forget the original. This makes for a disposable society." 8: Counterproductive Pride: "Pride is great up to the point you begin to throw out the baby with the bathwater. The rule of Satanism is: if it works for you, great. When it stops working for you, when you’ve painted yourself into a corner and the only way out is to say, I’m sorry, I made a mistake, I wish we could compromise somehow, then do it." 9: Lack of Aesthetics: "Aesthetics is important in Lesser Magic and should be cultivated. It is obvious that no one can collect any money off classical standards of beauty and form most of the time so they are discouraged in a consumer society, but an eye for beauty, for balance, is an essential Satanic tool and must be applied for greatest magical effectiveness. It’s not what’s supposed to be pleasing—it’s what is. Aesthetics is a personal thing, reflective of one’s own nature, but there are universally pleasing and harmonious configurations that should not be denied." Pentagonal Revisionism: A Five Point '''Program is a list of goals for social transformation written by LaVey. 1. Stratification: "The point on which all the others ultimately rest. There can be no more myth of equality for all—it only translates to mediocrity and supports the weak at the expense of the strong. Water must be allowed to seek its own level without interference from apologists for incompetence. No one should be protected from the effects of his own stupidity." (So note they are actively for hierarchy and against any presmed equality. Making this a very obvious association with the chaos side in game again). 2. Strict taxation of all churches: "If churches were taxed for all their income and property, they’d crumble overnight of their own obsolescence, and the National Debt would be wiped out as quickly. The productive, the creative, the resourceful should be subsidized. So long as the useless and incompetent are getting paid, they should be heavily taxed." (This kind of ignores the reason that churches aren't taxed). 3. No tolerance for religious beliefs secularized and incorporated into law and order issues: "To re-establish Lex Talionis would require a complete overturning of the present in-justice system based on Judeo-Christian ideals, where the victim/defender has been made the criminal. Amnesty should be considered for anyone in prison because of his alleged “influence” upon the actual perpetrator of the crime. Everyone is influenced in what he or she does. Scapegoating has become a way of life, a means of survival for the unfit. As an extension of the Judeo-Christian cop-out of blaming the Devil for everything, criminals can gain leniency, even praise, by placing the blame on a convenient villain. Following the Satanic creed of “Responsibility to the responsible,” in a Satanic society, everyone must experience the consequences of his own actions—for good or ill." (Note that this is ironically calling for more draconian laws of punishment, implying that influence shouldn't be used as a defense. Which is an odd line of thought to take). 4. Development and production of artificial human companions: "The forbidden industry. An economic “godsend” which will allow everyone “power” over someone else. Polite, sophisticated, technologically feasible slavery. And the most profitable industry since T.V. and the computer." (Why they actively included the word slavery in this is weird. But at any rate it shows their mentality). 5. The opportunity for anyone to live within a total environment of his or her choice, with mandatory adherence to the aesthetic and behavioral standards of same: "Privately owned, operated and controlled environments as an alternative to homogenized and polyglot ones. The freedom to insularize oneself within a social milieu of personal well-being. An opportunity to feel, see, and hear that which is most aesthetically pleasing, without interference from those who would pollute or detract from that option." Theistic Satanism Theistic Satanism is an umbrella term for religious beliefs that consider Satan as an objectively existing supernatural being or force worthy of supplication, whom individuals may contact and convene with. The individual belief systems under this umbrella are practiced by loosely affiliated or independent groups and cabals. Another characteristic of Theistic Satanism is the use of ceremonial magic. The history of theistic Satanism, as an existing spiritual path practiced by people, is obscured by a number of groups having been accused of Satanism who did not actually worship Satan, such as in the witch trials in Early Modern Europe,(Note that in megaten, witches show up at times, but are not explicitly shown interacting with lucifer, but instead other gods like aradia). and such beliefs having been heavily persecuted, being grounds for execution during most of European history. Most actual theistic Satanist religions exist in relatively new models and ideologies, many of which even claim to be independent of the Abrahamic religions. Joy of Satan is an obscure internet group that believes that Satan appears angel-like; is the leader of the Nordic gods; and is also is the ancient sumerian god Enki/Ea; and is the yezidi archangel called Melek Taus. It is often made fun of as a meme for having directions on its website on how to summon a succubus for sex. The Church of the Elders borrows its theology from Joy of Satan, believing that Satan is based upon Enki, but the Church of the Elders rejects calling this being 'Satan', instead calling it Enki, similar to how the Temple of Set believes that Satan is based upon Set, and should therefore be called Set rather than Satan. The Cathedral of the Black Goat believe Satan and Lucifer are the same being in his light and dark aspects. The former Children of the Black Rose, are particularly inspired by Lucifer, who they may or may not equate with Satan. Temple of the Black Light is a group formerly known as the Misanthropic Luciferian Order prior to 2007. The group espouses a philosophy known as “'Chaosophy'”. (note the obvious presence of the word chaos being associated with lucifer). Chaosophy asserts that the world that we live in, and the universe that it lives in, all exists within the realm known as Cosmos. Cosmos is made of three spatial dimensions and one linear time dimension. Cosmos rarely ever changes and is a materialistic realm. Another realm that exists is known as Chaos. Chaos exists outside of the Cosmos and is made of infinite dimensions and unlike the Cosmos, it is always changing. Members of the TotBL believe that the realm of Chaos is ruled over by 11 dark gods, the highest of them being Satan, and all of said gods are considered manifestations of a higher being. This higher being is known as Azerate, the Dragon Mother, and is all of the 11 gods united as one. The TotBL believes that Azerate will resurrect one day and destroy the Cosmos and let Chaos consume everything. Note also that in nocturne's true demon ending, you destroy the cosmos of the world and then exist outside of it. Note also that entities being parts of others being something commonly seen in-game. Lucifer saying that he is a part of god that god discarded. Similarly, the Temple of the Black Light has criticized the Church of Satan, and has stated that the Temple of Set is "trying to make Setianism and the ruler of darkness, Set, into something accepted and harmless, this way attempting to become a 'big' religion, accepted and acknowledged by the rest of the Judaeo-Christian society," stating that rather, satanists should actively be seen as dangerous obscure people. The TotBL rejects Christianity, Judaism and Islam as "the opposite of everything that strengthens the spirit and is only good for killing what little that is beautiful, noble and honorable in this filthy world". The temple of the black light is in contrast often considered extreme and radical by other satanist groups due to practicing of animal sacrifice. And many other satanists have distanced themselves from them for that reason. The MLO consist of the unified belief in "Chaosophy" or "Chaos gnosticism". They believe that Chaos is the pandimensional plane and/or power with infinite amounts of space and time, in contrast to cosmos, which only has three spatial dimensions and one linear time dimension. They also believe that, in comparison with the linear time of cosmos, chaos can be described as timeless in the way that it is not contained nor limited by one-dimensional time, and formless, because of its ever-changing and infinite amounts of space dimensions. Note that in the amala verse time is not said to exit outside of worlds as the same way it does within them. Extreme militant nihilism is taught within the group and they say that the true Satanist must not be a part of the modern society, as it is founded upon lies. The temple of the black light is based on qabalah, saying that both sephirot and qliphoth were emanated from the ein sof. However, they invert it from jewish kabbalah by saying that the structure of the sephirot is one of restriction, associated with cosmos whereas the structure of the qliphoth is one of freedom, associated with chaos. And that the sephirot are a false light that must be moved past. They associate the qliphoth with "evil," referring to its drive as the evil impulse, (parraleling that of kabbalah the evil inclination) but the meaning of this is meant to be that good and evil have no fixed meaning, and are part of a structure created by the archons associated with the sephirot. And so the identity of evil is more like an amorality based in liberation. A transcendence of good and evil that would be seen as evil by those aligning with the right hand path and archons. The black light / black flame is seen as the gnosis that would allow one to flourish in the universe of chaos. Without which, one would see it as horrifying. The black light is said to be seen as darkness to those who are unenlightened. The qliphoth are seen as just as divine as the sephirot, being the divine force of liberation rather than restriction. These are the three dark veils before Satan, in their belief system seen as the three Forces that were expelled from Ain Sof in order to make way for the manifestation of the Black Light in the Outer Darkness that soon became Qliphoth: 000 - Tohu - Chaos: Qemetiel ("Crown of Gods") 00 - Bohu - Emptiness: Beliaal ("Without God") 0 - Chasek - Darkness: Aathiel ("Uncertainty") These three powers can be seen as the Burning Trident held high above the Thaumielitan, and to represent them the symbol of the trident is used. These three powers can also be viewed as Wrathful Reflections of the Ein Sof. Note here the kabbalic associations. Kabbalah is often associated with satanic groups, and similarly it often shows in up game even for the chaos side. The ein sof seems to be a heavy inspiration for the great will. While jews consider the ein sof to be positive, these satanists here are interpreting it as dark, and having wrathful incarnations, and to exist in a morally elitist world. Note of course in game the ambiguity over which side is right, and them each claiming the larger underlying reality at large as for their own side. Temple of Set. Some writers equate the veneration of Set by the Temple of Set to theistic Satanism. However, the Temple of Set do not identify as theistic Satanists. They believe the Egyptian deity Set is the real Dark Lord behind the name Satan, of whom Satan is just a caricature. Their practices primarily center on self-development. Within the temple of Set, the Black Flame is the individual's god-like core which is a kindred spirit to Set, and they seek to develop. In theistic Satanism, the Black Flame is knowledge which was given to humanity by Satan, who is a being independent of the Satanist himself and which he can dispense to the Satanist who seeks knowledge. Note here the conflation of set with satan being a common trend in satanism. Interestingly, this shows up in SMTII with set being half of the soul of Satan, yet the Satan referred to in game is not the devil of christianity, but the angel of judgement of judaism. Satanic Reds A group with very different ideology to the standard randian trend is the Satanic Reds, whose Satanism has a communist element. However, they are not theistic Satanist in the manner of believing in Satan as a god with a personality, but believe in dark deism, the belief that Satan is a presence in nature. The Order of Nine Angles is known as one of the most dangerous Satanist groups known. his group became controversial and was mentioned in the press and in books, because they promoted human sacrifice, as well as neo nazi ideology. The O9A believes that **Satan** is one of two **'acausal' eternal beings**, the other one being **Baphomet**, and that Satan is male and Baphomet is female. The ONA is a secretive organization. It lacks any central administration, instead operating as a network of allied Satanic practitioners, which it terms the "**kollective**". Thus, Monette stated that the Order "is not a structured lodge or temple, but rather a movement, a subculture or perhaps metaculture that its adherents choose to embody or identify with." Several academic commentators have highlighted the existence of a position within the ONA called an "Outer Representative", who serves as an official spokesperson for the group to the outer world. However, this role has been stated to be a kind of ruse to mislead outsiders. The ONA states that cosmic evolution is guided by a "sinister dialectics" of alternating Aeonic energies. It divides history into a series of Aeons, believing that each was dominated by a human civilization that emerged, evolved, and then died. The ONA claim that current Western civilization has recently undergone its Time of Troubles, with its final stage, an "Imperium" of militaristic governance, due to commence at some point in 1990–2011 and last until 2390. This will be followed by a period of chaos from which will be established a sixth Aeon, the Aeon of Fire, which will be represented by the Galactic civilization in which Aryan society shall colonize the Milky Way galaxy. However, the Order holds that unlike previous Aeonic civilizations, the Western has been infected with the "Magian/Nazarene" distorion, which they associate with Judeo-Christian religion. The group's writings state that while Western civilization had once been "a pioneering entity, imbued with elitist values and exalting the way of the warrior", under the impact of the Magian/Nazarene ethos it has become "essentially neurotic, inward-looking and obsessed", embracing humanism, capitalism, communism, as well as "the sham of democracy" and "the dogma of racial equality". They believe that these Magian/Nazarene forces represent a counter-evolutionary trend which threaten to prevent the emergence of the Western Imperium and thus the evolution of humanity, opining that this cosmic enemy must be overcome through the force of will. The ONA praise Nazism as "a practical expression of Satanic spirit... a burst of Luciferian light – of zest and power – in an otherwise Nazarene, pacified, and boring world." The ONA does not initiate members into the group itself, but rather expects an individual to initiate themselves. It requires that initiates be in a good physical condition, and recommends a training regimen for prospective members to follow. Newcomers are expected to take on a magical partner of the opposite sex, or of the same sex if they are lesbian or gay. Thenceforth, the practitioner must undertake personal and increasingly difficult challenges in order to move through the different grades. Most of the ordeals that allow the initiate to proceed to the next stage are publicly revealed by the Order in its introductory material, as it is believed that the true initiatory element lies in the experience itself and can only be attained through performing them. For instance, part of the ritual to become an External Adept involves an ordeal in which the prospective member is to find a lonely spot and to lay there, still, for an entire night without moving or sleeping. The initiatory process for the role of Internal Adept entails the practitioner withdrawing from human society for three months, from an equinox to a solstice, or (more usually) for six months, during which time they must live in the wild without modern conveniences or contact with civilisation. The next stage – the Ritual of the Abyss – involves the candidate living alone in a dark isolated cavern for a lunar month. According to Jeffrey Kaplan, an academic specialist of the far right, these physically and mentally challenging initiatory tasks reflect "the ONA's conception of itself as a vanguard organization composed of a tiny coterie of Nietzschean elites." Within the initiatory system of the ONA, there is an emphasis on practitioners adopting "insight roles" in which they work undercover among a politically extreme group for a period of six to eighteen months, thus gaining experience in something different from their normal life. Among the ideological trends that the ONA suggests its members adopt "insight roles" within are anarchism, Neo-Nazism, and Islamism, stating that aside from the personal benefits of such an involvement, membership of these groups has the benefit of undermining the Magian-Nazarene socio-political system of the West and thus helping to bring about the instability from which a new order, the Imperium, can emerge. Therefore, "through the practice of "insight roles", the order advocates continuous transgression of established norms, roles, and comfort zones in the development of the initiate... This extreme application of ideas further amplifies the ambiguity of satanic and Left Hand Path practices of antinomianism / amoralism, making it almost impossible to penetrate the layers of subversion, play and counter-dichotomy inherent in the sinister dialectics." The Acausal Realm, Magick and the Dark Gods. The ONA believe that humans live within the causal realm, which obeys the laws of cause and effect. However, they also believe in an acausal realm, in which the laws of physics do not apply, further promoting the idea that numinous energies from the acausal realm can be drawn into the causal, allowing for the performance of magic. External magic itself is divided into two categories: ceremonial magick, which is performed by more than two people to achieve a specific goal, and hermetic magick, which is performed either solitarily or in a pair and which is often sexual in nature. Internal magick is designed to produce an altered state of consciousness in the participant, in order to result in a process of "individuation" which bestows adepthood. The most advanced form of magick in the ONA system is aeonic magick, the practice of which is restricted to those who are already perceived to have mastered external and internal magick and attained the grade of master. The purpose of aeonic magick is to influence large numbers of people over a lengthy period of time, thus affecting the development of future aeons. In particular it is employed with the intent of disrupting the current socio-political system of the Western world, which the ONA believe has been corrupted by Judeo-Christian religion. The Order promotes the idea that "Dark Gods" exist within the acausal realm, although it is accepted that some members will interpret them not as real entities but as facets of the human subconscious. These entities are perceived as dangerous, with the ONA advising caution when interacting with them. Among those Dark Gods whose identities have been discussed in the Order's publicly available material are a goddess named Baphomet who is depicted as a mature woman carrying a severed head, (whose design has been compared to the hindu kali) with the ONA stating that the name is of ancient Greek origin. In addition, there are entities whose names, according to Monette, are borrowed from or influenced by figures from Classical sources and astronomy, such as Kthunae, Nemicu, and Atazoth. Another of these acausal figures is termed Vindex, after the Latin word for "avenger". The ONA believe that Vindex will eventually incarnate as a human – although the gender and ethnicity of this individual is unknown – through the successful "presencing" of acausal energies within the causal realm, and that they will act as a messianic figure by overthrowing the Magian forces and leading the ONA to prominence in the establishment of a new society. Sieg drew comparisons between this belief in Vindex and the ideas of Savitri Devi, the prominent Esoteric Hitlerist, regarding the arrival of Kalki, an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, to Earth. The ONA also propagate the idea that it is possible for the practitioner to secure an afterlife within the acausal realm through their spiritual activities. It is for this reason that the final stage of the Seven Fold Way is known as the "Immortal", constituting those initiates who have been able to advance to the stage of dwelling in the acausal realm. Sacrifice The ONA's writings condone and encourage human sacrifice, referring to their victims as opfers. The ONA outline their views on human sacrifice in a number of documents: "A Gift for the Prince – A Guide to Human Sacrifice", "Culling – A Guide to Sacrifice II", "Victims – A Sinister Exposé", and "Guidelines for the Testing of Opfers". According to the ONA's beliefs, the killer must allow their victim to "self-select" themselves; this is achieved through testing the victim to see if they expose perceived character faults. If this proves to be the case, the victim is believed to have shown that they are worthy of death, and the sacrifice can commence. Those deemed ideal for sacrifice by the group include individuals perceived as being of low character, members of what they deem "sham-Satanic groups" like the Church of Satan and Temple of Set, as well as "zealous, interfering Nazarenes", and journalists, business figures and political activists who disrupt the group's operations. The ONA explains that because of the need for such "self-selection", children must never be victims of sacrifice.Similarly, the ONA "despise animal sacrifice, maintaining that it is much better to sacrifice suitable mundanes given the abundance of human dross". The sacrifice is then carried out through either physical or magical means, at which point the killer is believed to absorb power from the body and spirit of the victim, thus entering a new level of "sinister" consciousness. As well as strengthening the character of the killer by heightening their connection with the acausal forces of death and destruction, such sacrifices are also viewed as having wider benefits by the ONA, because they remove from society individuals whom the group deems to be worthless human beings. Monette noted that no ONA nexion cells publicly admitted to carrying out a sacrifice in a ritual manner, but that members had joined the police and military groups claiming that it was in order to engage in legal violence and killing. The ONA believe that there are historical precedents to their practice of human sacrifice, expressing belief in a prehistoric tradition in which humans were sacrificed to a goddess named Baphomet at the spring equinox and to the Arcturus star in the autumn.(which is the cheese grator looking boss in triangulum). However, the ONA's advocacy of human sacrifice has drawn strong criticism from other Satanist groups like the Temple of Set, who deem it to be detrimental to their own attempts to make Satanism more socially acceptable within Western nations. Academic (also popular usage) In philosophy, though this is rare, the term satanism comes up in a few places such as the writings of R M Hare to refer to one who would find out what the moral facts are and deliberately perform immoral actions in violation of moral facts. Not because of any personal benefit, but merely because they actively wanted to perform immoral acts for the sake of immorality. Hare contrasts what he calls the "satanist" who directly does wrong actions with an amoralist who does not care if they do, and the nihilist who does not think they exist. The term satanist is used to refer to the satan of christianity who is often depicted as a force of evil, wanting to cause humans to do evil for no reason other than that it is evil. R M Hare addresses whether such a being as a satanist by his definition could truly exist, or whether knowingly bad actions are only for personal benefit. But concludes that one could, but that such a person might be born from looking at morality the wrong way to begin with. Note that he doesn't think there is any organized group of self professed satanists who refer to themselves as such and act like this. He even points out that many of the occultists that classically were called satanists like crowley, leading to "satanism" becoming a self professed identity were not actually being evil for the sake of evil as Christians often accused them when they coined the term satanism. But that he is using the term to refer to its classical negative connotations in the abstract, without trying to affiliate it with any particular person. Note of course that in popular culture the term satanism is also sometimes used in a way resembling this (though popular culture generally assumes it is tied to occultism, whereas hare is using it merely in a moral sense). And this is not necessarily a totally inaccurate usage, since that definition of the word existed before many self professed satanist groups with different ideologies sprang up. The conflation of the groups that refer to themselves as satanists with the type of thing one might be accused of are two different things, despite bearing the same name. Note that groups being evil merely for the sake of evil are presumed to in actuality be incredibly rare if they exist at all. Even some of the more dangerous above listed satanist groups do not actively profess to be this, even if some may be seen as evil by others. As far as megaten games go even chaos demons do not tend to be this, most simply having more of a ruthlessly individualistic ideology. And of course most real satanist groups wouldn't describe themself as actively being bad for the sake of being bad. Even though they might accept that they are bad relative to the standards of others.